All Spiritual Practices Can Be Beholding
Discipleship Begins With Beholding • The What, How And Why Of Beholding
Discipleship Begins With Beholding • The What, How And Why Of Beholding
Beholding: The Heart of Spiritual Practices
All spiritual practices can fall under the broader category of beholding—gazing upon God with reverence and love. Yet, engaging in these practices does not automatically mean one is truly beholding God. Spiritual practices can be performed outwardly while the heart remains disengaged or motivated by something other than a genuine desire to know, honor and obey Him.
The motivation behind our actions matters deeply to God. Scripture offers several examples:
In the story of The Widow’s Mite (Mark 12:41–44), wealthy religious leaders gave offerings with little personal sacrifice, driven by a desire to impress others rather than honor God.
In Judas’s Criticism of Mary of Bethany (John 12:1–8), Judas appeared virtuous, criticizing Mary for wasting expensive perfume on Jesus instead of using the money for the poor, yet his motives were selfish and unholy.
Jesus Rebukes the Religious Leaders (John 5:39–40) for their relentless study of the Scriptures. Though outwardly diligent, their study became an end in itself, disconnected from its ultimate purpose: leading them to behold and embrace God.
These examples reveal that spiritual practices, when motivated by self-centeredness or pride, fail to honor God. True beholding flows from a heart authentically aligned with Him—a heart that desires to love, honor, and delight in Him above all else.
Every spiritual practice has the potential to become a means of beholding God when approached with the right heart posture. Beholding involves turning our attention and affection toward God, allowing His presence, beauty, and character to captivate and transform us. When spiritual practices move beyond routine rituals to become deeply relational and God-centered, they become acts of authentic worship.
Focus on Gazing upon God
Beholding happens when we turn our attention fully to God—whether in prayer, Scripture, worship or just sitting with Him to enjoy Him. Each practice becomes a lens to see Him more clearly.
Awareness of God’s Character
Gratitude, Scripture meditation, and worship unveil aspects of God’s character—His love, wisdom, power, and creativity. Every encounter with God reveals something profound about who He is.
Holistic Engagement
True beholding engages the whole person. It involves:
The mind, as we understand God’s truth.
The heart, as we respond emotionally with awe and love.
The will, as we act in ways inspired by our encounter with Him.
The motivation, which ensures that our practices are driven by a genuine desire to honor and connect with God rather than by pride, routine, or self-interest.
The action, as our daily lives reflect what we’ve seen and received in God—demonstrating His character through how we live, serve, and love others.
Transformation Through Encounter
Beholding transforms us into God’s likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we see His beauty and glory, we let go of lesser loves, embracing the eternal treasures only He can provide.
Spiritual disciplines become powerful acts of beholding when approached with the intention of encountering God:
Prayer becomes beholding when it transitions from requests to relational dialogue, where we listen and delight in God’s presence.
Worship becomes beholding when it flows from a heart captivated by God’s worthiness.
Bible Study becomes beholding when we seek to know God’s character in the text, and grow in the Christlikeness revealed, rather than focusing on mere knowledge.
Gratitude becomes beholding when we marvel at God’s hand in every moment.
Sabbath Rest becomes beholding when we reflect and rest on God’s sufficiency, provision and care.
Confession becomes beholding when we focus on God’s mercy and grace.
Community becomes beholding when we experience Christ through shared worship and encouragement, and when we receive the ministry of one another.
Nature becomes beholding when we recognize God’s creativity in creation and let it point us, as signposts, to the greater beauty, power and glory of God.
Service becomes beholding when we see Christ in those we serve and do it for the glory of God.
Daily Chores become beholding when done with gratitude, offered as acts of worship.
Ultimately, beholding is more about the posture of the heart than the practice itself. It’s a way of living in constant awareness that God "...exists and that He is a rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6). When every thought, emotion, action and moment becomes an opportunity to notice, adore, and connect with God, all spiritual practices—and indeed all of life—become acts of beholding.
By aligning our hearts with the desire to truly behold God, we transform even the most mundane activities into sacred acts of worship. Let us pursue a life of beholding, allowing God’s beauty, power, and glory to captivate and transform us.